2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi

[GeneChing]

This is OT as the Winter Olympics lacks any martial events, except maybe biathlon. This reminds me of the Fuwa prophesy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50958-The-whole-China-shakes&p=863175#post863175) for the Beijing Olympics (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?39275-2008-Beijing-Olympics).


Got a Light? Olympic Torch Relay Seems Cursed to the Ends of the Earth (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/sports/olympics/got-a-light-olympic-torch-relay-seems-cursed-to-the-ends-of-the-earth.html?_r=0)
Olympictorch2014.com, via Associated Press

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/12/18/sports/18torch_ss-slide-GXJL/18torch_ss-slide-GXJL-articleLarge.jpg
The Travels of the Olympic Torch: The 40,389-mile Olympic torch relay to Sochi from Moscow is a meandering route designed to showcase the historical, cultural and geographic richness of Russia.
By SARAH LYALL
Published: December 17, 2013 63 Comments


It was bad enough when the Olympic flame went out and had to be relit with a disposable lighter rather than the official backup flame, and even worse when a torchbearer managed somehow to set himself on fire in the Siberian city of Abakan.

But perhaps the low point in what has seemed less like an Olympic torch relay than an exercise in ineptitude and misfortune came earlier this week when one of the runners carrying the torch to the Sochi Games had a fatal heart attack while attempting to walk his allotted distance, about 218 yards.

“He returned to the gathering place and was photographed, then said he was not feeling well and was taken to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to save him,” Roman Osin, a Sochi 2014 torch relay spokesman, told reporters of the man, a 73-year-old school sports director and Greco-Roman wrestling coach. “We express our deepest condolences to his loved ones.”

Maybe a few bad experiences are par for the course in an undertaking that, like many things about the Sochi Games, is built on superlatives — meant to be bigger, better and more thrillingly ambitious than any torch relay that has come before it. At about 40,000 miles, the route is the longest in Olympic history, winding through the North Pole, beneath the water in Lake Baikal and into space. Fourteen thousand people are taking part, the most ever, and they are traveling, variously, on foot, by plane, by train, by car, by snowmobile, by icebreaker, by jet pack, by zip wire, by sleigh, by horse and by camel.

The Russian authorities, who are hoping to use the Games as a way to show off their country’s varied landscapes and superior organizational skills, naturally would like to present the situation in the most benign light.

For example, despite numerous reports and video evidence suggesting that the flame has died out perhaps as many as four dozen times, eight in the first six days of the relay, the official line is that it has stopped burning only something like three times so far, Mr. Osin said. And only once, he stressed in an interview, had it been relit by someone’s lighter.

“It was just a gust of wind,” he said of the incident, which took place in the Kremlin grounds, on the second leg of the 14,000-leg relay. “The torchbearer who was running was absolutely terrified and didn’t know what to do, and he asked the guard to help him, and the guard” — here he paused — “helped, with the only device he had.”

It is unclear what happened to the guard.

By the same token, Mr. Osin said, the flame had set people on fire only on three occasions, and never in a hazardous way. “It’s not dangerous,” Mr. Osin said. “It didn’t even damage the garments of the torchbearers.”

The Olympic flame is not eternal, but is relit a few months before each Olympics, said Bill Mallon, a former president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. It originates in the temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, where it is ceremonially lit by “supposedly Greek virgin priestesses,” Mr. Mallon said, using the sun’s rays via a parabolic mirror.

The flame is then transported to the host country and sent on the relay, passed from torch to torch, with the backup flame traveling nearby in case of a sudden de-flaming emergency.

It is not as easy as it might look to be a torchbearer. For one thing, said J J Fetter, an Olympic sailing medalist who has run in two torch relays, the thing is kind of heavy, and you have to carry it at an awkward angle in front of your body.

“You’re nervous about tripping, and you can’t run with your arm going backwards and forwards as part of your normal stride, because then you would be waving the flame around,” Ms. Fetter said. “You don’t want to set your hair or anyone else’s hair on fire.”

Although keeping a torch lit for up to several hours is an easy endeavor, torches tend to do better when they are stationary, at least in domestic situations, said Jennifer Grosshandler, the marketing director for Tiki Torches.

“I would not recommend running with it,” she said.

Russia is not the only country to have had relay glitches. The history of torch relays is also the history of torch mishaps, many of them coming when the flame finally reached the main Olympic stadium. In 1988 in Seoul, South Korea, several doves released in a dramatic gesture during the opening ceremony flew into the Olympic caldron and roasted to death.

In the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, the speedskater Guido Caroli glided into the arena on skates and then tripped over a microphone wire, ending up on his rear end, still clutching his torch. “He always said proudly that the flame did not go out,” Mr. Mallon said.

According to Mr. Osin, while experience indicates that organizers can generally expect to have a torch malfunction rate of 5 percent in the pre-Olympic relays, Russia’s rate has been just 2 percent.

Russia’s torches were manufactured in Siberia at a reported cost of $6.4 million by KrasMash, which usually makes submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It is not everyone’s favorite just now, but it cannot be sent to Siberia, because it is already in Siberia.

“Any normal person will have at least a few questions,” Mikhail Starshinov, a member of Russia’s parliament, was quoted saying in October by The Moscow Times, in an article titled “Veteran Bobsledder Set Alight by Faulty Olympic Torch.” “Why were 16,000 produced? How much does each torch cost, and is this price appropriate? And finally, why don’t they work?”

In recent Olympics, torchbearers have been given the opportunity to buy their torches. The Russian ones cost $388, or 12,800 rubles, which in the case of those people who caught on fire or had their flame die on them, might seem to be adding insult to injury.

Russia is not a rich country, and many torchbearers have asked if they can buy their torch on credit. The answer is no.

The torches, Mr. Osin said, are “a memory of good emotions.”

Patrick Reevell contributed reporting from Moscow.

[GeneChing]

Well...sorta on topic. :rolleyes:


Steven Seagal: Putin Is Awesome, Terrorist Attack At Sochi Olympics Impossible As Russian FSB Security Force 'Best On Earth' (http://www.designntrend.com/articles/10491/20140128/steven-seagal-putin-awesome-terrorist-attack-sochi-olympics-impossible-russian-security-forces-best-earth.htm)
Jan 28, 2014 07:38 PM EST by Peter Black

http://images.designntrend.com/data/images/full/15853/steven-seagal.png?w=600
Steven Seagal Praises Putin, Says There Will Be No Terrorist Attack At Sochi Olympics (Photo : Youtube/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa84UCwsMj4 - NewsMedia24)

Steven Seagal thinks that Vladimir Putin is awesome, and that a terrorist attack at the Olympics is virtually impossible considering that the Russian president is running the show.

"The chances of any of these suicide bombers actually being able to pull it off are extremely remote by virtue of the fact that Sochi is on such high alert," Seagal said on Mike Huckabee's talk show. "They've got amazing assets in place with great liaison over the world. President Putin is doing the very, very best he can. And, like I said, the FSB and [their elite counterterrorism taskforce] Alfa Spetsnaz are really some of the best on Earth, so it's going to be pretty tough for anybody to pull it off."

However, Seagal admitted that there could be some potential problems, saying that "you could walk out to go buy a bag of sugar and get hit by a car," Radio Free Europe reported.

Seagal and Putin have apparently become good friends, as they both love Russian action movies and machine guns.

The actor insisted that Russia has "wonderful leadership," and that America will inevitably collapse if the U.S. doesn't acknowledge Russia's greatness.

"I believe that they are our friends and I think one of the only ways we are going to survive without getting swallowed by other superpowers or adversely affected is to be best friends with Russia," Seagal said. "I think they should be our great allies."

RFE reported that Mike Huckabee "introduced Seagal as 'the unofficial ambassador who's developed a friendly relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, something our president has not been able to do.'"

This is somewhat accurate; Obama's and Putin's relationship does seem to have soured in the last few months.

Then again, Putin granted asylum to Edward Snowden, and Edward Snowden made Obama look very, very bad.

Maybe Seagal can karate chop Obama into submission, saving the day like he always does.

[mawali]

I can't help it but that pic looks kind of 'GAY' in a positive sense!:D

[GeneChing]

Meanwhile, here's an odd Sochi story that came up in this morning's newsfeed search for no particular reason at all...


animal spirits
Sochi’s Olympic orcas are missing. Have they been smuggled to China? (http://qz.com/174165/sochis-olympic-orcas-are-missing-have-they-been-smuggled-to-china/)
By Gwynn Guilford @sinoceros February 5, 2014

http://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/orca1.jpg?w=880
Pending a one-way ticket to China. Reuters/Mathieu Belanger

When the Sochi Olympic Games kick off on Friday, one thing will be missing. Well, two. A female orca named Narnia and an unnamed juvenile male—both of them recently captured in the wild—were reported to be debuting at the upcoming the Olympic opening ceremonies. As of last November, the two killer whales, as orcas are also known, were supposedly in training near Moscow. But since then, there’s been no mention of them.

Maybe that’s because they’ve been sent to China. According to Erich Hoyt, an orca researcher, Russia exported them to its southern neighbor, where they’re rumored to be headed to the just-opened Ocean Kingdom (link in Chinese), the $3.3-billion marine theme park on Hengqin island in southern China. A representative from Chime-Long Group, which owns Ocean Kingdom, declined to answer questions about the killer whales, according to a must-read feature (paywall) in the South China Morning Post. However, the SCMP notes that a French former orca trainer at Loro Parque, a Spanish marine theme park, is listed as the head animal trainer.

Narnia was reportedly caught in the Sea of Okhotsk in 2012; her supposed companion and several other killer whales are thought to be among several captured there in Aug. and Oct. 2013, says Hoyt. If the rumors are true, the two killer whales be the first ever to perform on the mainland.

But they probably won’t be the last.

“It seems like China is becoming, or has become, a primary source of the demand for belugas, dolphins, and orcas alike,” Courtney Vail, of the Whale And Dolphin Conservation, told Outside Online. “Twenty-four dolphins were exported from Japan to China in 2012, and CITES trade reports suggest over 60 wild-caught belugas were exported from Russia to China between 2008 and 2010 alone.”

The reason for this trend? Partly that there’s little demand elsewhere. Only 12 of the 44 killer whales in aquariums worldwide were born in the wild, reports Outside Online. SeaWorld, which owns around half of the world’s captive killer whales, says it doesn’t need to import wild-caught whales due to the success of its breeding program.

Tom Mehrmann, CEO of Ocean Park in Hong Kong, told the the SCMP that if Ocean Kingdom had acquired killer whales, it had likely done so without complying with industry standards that require a population study to ensure the that orca numbers wouldn’t be harmed. (A lack of animal protection laws or channels for public accountability in China makes protesting animal treatment difficult.)

Elsewhere in the world, though, public outrage about the use of killer whales in marine parks has been piqued by the popular American documentary Blackfish. The film, which explores the circumstances surrounding the 2010 mauling death of a SeaWorld trainer, highlights the brutality of how orcas are seized in the wild, as well as the claustrophobic conditions under which they’re housed.

“When they’re captured, their families are just ripped apart,” Paul Spong, a whale resarcher, told CBC News. “And when they’re put into captivity, they’re really subject to sensory deprivation for years and years and years—it’s hugely damaging to them.”

[GeneChing]

...what about our yogurt?!?!


Russia Blocks Yogurt Bound for U.S. Athletes (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/nyregion/russia-blocking-a-yogurt-shipment-from-reaching-us-olympians.html?_r=1)
By THOMAS KAPLAN FEB. 5, 2014

The blockade has prompted protests from yogurt-promoting politicians in New York and in Washington, who express outrage that American athletes could be deprived of a protein-rich food that had been part of their training regimen.

http://static01.nyt.com/images/2014/02/06/nyregion/05YOGURT/05YOGURT-superJumbo.jpg
Thousands of containers of Chobani yogurt now sit in limbo. Mike Groll/Associated Press

The Russian government says the American-made yogurt cannot enter Russia because the Americans have not submitted the proper paperwork. The United States says the certification required by the Russians would be impossible to attain.

The yogurt makers are growing exasperated.

“I’d like to think that yogurt could have diplomatic immunity,” said Peter McGuinness, the chief marketing and brand officer for Chobani.

After beginning as a breakfast-table squabble, the dairy drama is quickly escalating.

The Obama administration has intervened, seeking to clear the way for the delivery. A United States senator fired off an urgent letter to the Russian ambassador, asking for his help.

American officials are hoping to receive a special dispensation from the Russian agency Rosselkhoznadzor, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance, whose jurisdiction includes American-made Greek yogurt.

Yogurt production is a booming business in upstate New York, a place that does not have many booming businesses. Naturally, the industry has become a favorite for many of the state’s leading elected officials.

Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand, both Democrats, have pushed for Greek yogurt to be served with school lunches. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, also a Democrat, is planning his second “yogurt summit” to celebrate the industry.

Mr. Schumer, who is fond of plain Greek yogurt and likes to add raisins, has jumped into the fray. “There is simply no time to waste in getting our Olympic athletes a nutritious and delicious food,” he said in a statement.

In requesting that the blockade be lifted, Mr. Schumer added that when it comes to yogurt, “the Russian authorities should get past ‘nyet.’ ”

No resolution is in sight. Whether American athletes will have access to any other brands of yogurt could not be determined on Wednesday. Yevgeniy Khorishko, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, said American officials had been told about the necessary paperwork, but had not complied.

Mr. Khorishko said there would be no special treatment just because the yogurt was bound for American lips. “We are a lawful country,” he said. “You should follow the rules.”

The Sochi-bound yogurt may be a victim of a broader dairy dispute. American dairy producers have been cut off from the Russian market since 2010, as the two countries have been unable to reach an agreement on health certification for American dairy exports. “The Russians have not put in the effort to try to resolve this,” said Jaime Castaneda, a senior vice president of the National Milk Producers Federation, adding that Russia was an appealing market for butterfat.

Chobani is the official yogurt of the United States Olympic team, and in the run-up to Sochi, its products were made available to athletes at Olympic training centers in the United States.

For the Olympics, the company had planned to send single-serve cups of blueberry, strawberry and peach yogurt, along with larger containers of plain yogurt that could be used to make smoothies. Some of the yogurt came from upstate New York, and some from Chobani’s other American factory, in Idaho.

Mr. McGuinness, the Chobani executive, said it only seemed natural to send along a shipment of Chobani, given that American athletes had enjoyed eating it during their training.

“Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished,” he said.

Yogurt-sensitive politicians came to Chobani’s defense on Wednesday, urging Russian officials to reconsider their crackdown.

“You’d think they’d have enough to worry about,” said James L. Seward, a Republican state senator whose district includes Chobani’s plant in Chenango County.

He predicted ample access to Greek yogurt could boost the Americans’ medal count.

And Gary D. Finch, a Republican state assemblyman who also represents the Chobani plant, suggested that Russia should also consider importing Chobani so Russians everywhere could enjoy it.

“It would have a healthy effect on the way they look at life over there,” he said.

Mr. Finch, recalling Chobani’s explosive growth since its founding, walked over to his refrigerator and opened it. He counted 18 cups.

If Russia wants to have a cold war over yogurt, he said, so be it.

“Whatever they choose to bring to the table to have some conflict over, we, of course, will win,” he said. “And we will have our yogurt at the end of the day.”

[Syn7]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/canadas-response-to-russias-russias-anti-lgbt-propaganda-law

[Syn7]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26096612

Sochi 2014: Trapped bobsledder smashes jammed bathroom door
8079

Man... There are so many post worthy things that have happened that have nothing to do with sports. The turkish airliner hijacking(kinda), all the defective **** in Sochi, the protests, the arrests, the failures during the opening ceremony... it just goes on and on and on.

[GeneChing]

Man... There are so many post worthy things that have happened that have nothing to do with sports. The Olympics are about international friendship. That's always much more interesting than just sports. It's always a huge story, so many intersecting story arcs, such a snapshot of the state of the world today. It's always fascinating to me.

That being said, it has delivered a very useful .gif meme for this here forum.
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19f5u6po2nj38gif/ku-xlarge.gif

[Syn7]

I think the primary purpose has shifted from excellence to international relations to lining pockets. I can roll with the first two, but the last just annoys me. The IOC is a complete joke. I feel sorry for athletes who live for these games because there is no avenue to go pro. It's unfortunate that such a grand idea has been *****d out like that.

[GeneChing]

You're looking at this from a strictly American perspective, Syn7. The pro vs. amateur Olympian is really just an American issue, not IOC. Russia and China don't have any problems with it.

Meanwhile, Canada's got it going on.

Canada's beer fridge is the best thing at the Olympics (http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/medal-detector/canada-s-beer-fridge-at-olympics-is-the-best-thing-at-the-olympics-021014)
7:06p ETPosted by Andy Nesbitt

Oh, Canada ... you really get it.

We're about to introduce you, the reader, to the greatest thing at the Olympics in Sochi.

Ready for it?

Check out Canada's special beer fridge, located in its Olympic house:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BgC8qxpCEAAmwU-.jpg

What's so special about this beer fridge? All you have to do is swipe your passport and boom! Free beer.

And who doesn't like free beer?
There's just one catch, though. Only Canadian passports can open up the special beer fridge.

Those crafty Canadians have it all figured out.

[David Jamieson]

Yeah, if you guys could stay away from our beer fridge, that would be great.

I personally am not really that interested in the Olympics per se.
It helps amateur sport for sure, but it does seem to be political junk in a big way. That's a turn off.
But hey, I don't have to watch it. :)

[Syn7]

You're looking at this from a strictly American perspective, Syn7. The pro vs. amateur Olympian is really just an American issue, not IOC. Russia and China don't have any problems with it.

Meanwhile, Canada's got it going on.

I'm Canadian. So I think you could say it's a Canadian perspective. I did live in Cali for a minute, but not long enough to be corrupted by yalls! :p

[GeneChing]

I'm Canadian. Oops. My bad. I should have said *North* American. Haven't we made Canada a state yet?

Here's the perfect Sochi pic as an apology. ;)


Photo of the day: China gets its first Sochi Olympic medal, and it's awkward (http://shanghaiist.com/2014/02/11/photo_of_the_day_china_gets_its_fir.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/erikcrouch/china-olympic-sochi.jpg

Chinese Short Track skater Han Tianyu won the nation's first medal at the Sochi Olympics, getting silver in last night's 1500m final. In the photo above, Han poses with the extremely festive Canadian who got gold and Han's hair-salon twin from Russia, who earned bronze.

[Syn7]

California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska should break away from the US then annex BC and Yukon. I would be down for that. Maybe throw in the west coast of Mexico too.

[GeneChing]

...and would it make our twizzle more unified? :p

Meanwhile, back to Sochi...


Under Armour Goes to Damage Control Instead of Gold in Sochi (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/under-armour-goes-for-damage-control-instead-of-gold-at-olympics.html)
By Rob Gloster Feb 18, 2014 8:12 AM PT
The Wall Street Journal
Instead of going for gold at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Under Armour Inc. has gone into damage control.

The poor performance of the American speedskating team, wearing the Baltimore-based company’s scientifically designed bodysuits, undercut the apparel maker’s claim that its clothing makes the best athletes even faster. The U.S. team voted to revert to older Under Armour suits to improve its performance, and still hasn’t won a medal.

While other squads wearing its products have had success -- the American team’s bronze was the country’s first medal since 1952 in the two-man bobsled -- Under Armour was forced to defend its products while being careful not to criticize athletes including four-time speedskating medalist Shani Davis.

“Whether it’s an equipment or design fault or not, in this case perception is reality,” Robert Passikoff, founder and president of New York-based marketing firm Brand Keys Inc., said in an e-mail interview. “Particularly when they’re some of the best athletes in the world, having consumers question whether your products are meeting their expectations is never a good thing for a brand.”

Under Armour also lost Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn, an endorser and a high-profile medal contender who was sidelined by knee surgery before the Sochi Games.

Matt Mirchin, Under Armour’s executive vice president of global marketing, said in a telephone interview from Baltimore yesterday that he doesn’t think the poor speedskating results or the uniform change will hurt international expansion.

Sales Growth

“I don’t believe it will slow our international growth in any way, shape or form,” Mirchin said, adding that Under Armour was happy to accommodate the speedskaters’ decision to change uniforms even though “we strongly feel the suits did not contribute” to the disappointing results.

Under Armour rose 1.39 percent to $107.48 at 11:01 a.m. in New York today after falling 2.4 percent on Feb. 14, the last day of trading before the three-day the last day of trading before the three-day U.S. holiday weekend. The market closed a few hours after the speedskaters voted to change to suits they used during pre-Olympic competition.

The company’s stock more than doubled in the 12 months through Feb. 13, compared with a 20 percent gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, with Under Armour’s image as a purveyor of technically advanced clothing fueling more than a doubling of sales in three years.

Overseas Push

The company has been on a roll as it competes for a share of the athletic apparel market with companies such as Nike Inc., the world’s largest sporting goods maker. Under Armour has had 15 straight quarterly sales gains of more than 20 percent and it’s pushing overseas to continue that pace, including deals with soccer teams in Mexico, Chile and the U.K.

“You’re always going to have good days and you’ll have days that you face adversity,” Chief Executive Officer and founder Kevin Plank said in a Feb. 14 interview with Bloomberg Television. “We’ve got a big push in global, we’re going to grow, and I don’t see a real parallel between what’s happening right now and what’s happening with Under Armour on the global scene.”

U.S. speedskaters also were on a roll as they entered the Sochi Olympics, where they were expected to compete with the Dutch for medals in many of the 12 races. Instead, the U.S. -- which won four speedskating medals at the 2010 Vancouver Games - - has been shut out through the first nine events, and no American skater has finished better than seventh.

Davis Disappoints

Among the biggest disappointments was Shani Davis, who came in as the two-time defending champion in the men’s 1000 meters and with two straight silver medals in the 1500. He placed eighth in the 1000 in Sochi, and 11th in the 1500.

“I’m not necessarily sure what is to blame,” Davis told reporters after the 1500.

Meanwhile, the Dutch have won six golds and 19 of the 27 speedskating medals so far. They went 1-2-3-4 in the women’s 1500 meters, a race in which Americans Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe were considered medal contenders and finished seventh and 14th.

“The coaching staff and Under Armour have bent over backwards for us, and I’m sure they haven’t slept much over the last week,” Bowe told reporters after the race, adding that she had no idea whether her bodysuit had anything to do with the result. “I am not the brains behind the skinsuit. I just put on what I am given.”

Another Sweep

The Dutch got another sweep today in the men’s 10000 meters, with winner Jorrit Bergsma breaking the Olympic record by more than 14 seconds.

The fact that U.S. speedskaters fared no better after switching out of their Mach 39 suits -- which Plank said were developed in conjunction with defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) and were the fastest suits in the world -- could ameliorate any brand damage to Under Armour.

“For a high-performance brand suiting a high-performance team with multiple gold expectations, this is pretty damaging,” said Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at San Francisco’s Baker Street Advertising. “The good news, if you can call it good, is that Shani Davis and Heather Richardson both failed in the 1500 even after switching out of the new bodysuits. So maybe it’s not the suits, maybe it’s the athletes.”

Dorfman added that “it certainly would have been much worse for Under Armour if this happened to their NFL gear” instead of in speedskating.

Other Sports

“This is a very esoteric sport, not an event your average weekend jock follows closely, or bases their equipment purchases upon,” Dorfman said in an e-mail interview. “And in another week, we’ll all have forgotten about Winter Olympic sports and have moved on to the NBA and MLB.”

The company’s products are used by athletes such as National Football League quarterbacks Tom Brady and Cam Newton, and Stephen Curry of the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors.

Dutch long-distance speedskating coach Jillert Anema said the problem is not with the Under Armour suits, but that the Americans’ lack of confidence “is growing like a cancer on the team.”

Under Armour also is outfitting the Canadian snowboarding team and U.S. bobsled and skeleton racers at the Sochi Games. The Canadian snowboarders have two medals in five events so far, and the U.S. bobsled team of Steve Holcomb and Steve Langton got bronze last night for the first Olympic medal in the two-man event by Americans since 1952.

Holcomb, 33, also is a medal contender in the four-man bobsled event set for Feb. 22-23 in which he is the defending Olympic champion.

Best in World

American Matthew Antoine, who won a bronze medal in the skeleton three days ago, said in an interview that he is “absolutely pleased” with his Under Armour uniform and U.S. skeleton head coach Tuffy Latour called them “the best suits in the world.”

“Teaming up with Under Armour was the best move we ever made, and they create custom suits for our skeleton athletes and they fit well and are proven to be fast,” Latour said. “I have nothing but good things to say about our speed suits.”

Still, the speedskaters’ poor performance in Under Armour suits could hurt the company’s image, said Passikoff, whose company has worked with firms including Samsung Electronics Co. (005930), Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW) and American Express Co. (AXP)

“It is an absolute fact that brands that do meet expectations always do better than those that can’t,” he said. “You know what they say: ‘It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s where you place the blame!’”

[TaichiMantis]

Since my maiden name is Verhage and all my ancestors are Dutch, the Netherlands Olympians are my go to team if the US sucks...;) freakin' amazing what they've done in speed skating this year!

Go Oranje!

[GeneChing]

I guess that makes up for Russia's Hockey loss. If Kim Yu-na needs any consoling, let me be first in line for that task.

Netherlands is 6th now and Norway is 1st, TaichiMantis. The U.S. reporting is so slanted however, as I've heard very little about either country. It's all been about the U.S. and Russia. It's as if we're still stuck in the cold war.

It's been a wacky Winter Games all in all. The Nightmare Bear. The facility issues. The high temp making the tracks hard. Rude reporters making champions cry. Wolves prowling the hallways of the athletes dorms. ***** Riot getting horse whipped. And that doesn't even get into the gay issue. It's all been very entertaining.

[Syn7]

So... IMO pretty much all mascots are creepy, but I think I'm missing what makes this one especially bad. I keep hearing nightmare bear, but I have no idea what sets this one apart. Anyone?

[GeneChing]

I'm kinda with you on this Syn7. Furry (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52304-Fist-of-Furry) mascots are creepy in general, but I'm not exactly sure what makes everyone think the nightmare bear is more creepy then the rest. He almost has that evil clown vibe, but not quite enough to really give me the willies. It's more the media hype about this that I find amusing.

http://www.papermag.com/uploaded_images/anigif_enhanced-13142-1391803957-12.gif

[TaichiMantis]

Personally I've loved the Tara Lipinski/ Johnny Wier show...sparkle baby!

[Syn7]

I'm kinda with you on this Syn7. Furry (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?52304-Fist-of-Furry) mascots are creepy in general, but I'm not exactly sure what makes everyone think the nightmare bear is more creepy then the rest. He almost has that evil clown vibe, but not quite enough to really give me the willies. It's more the media hype about this that I find amusing.


Haha, never miss an opportunity to pimp a link, huh. Get it get it.

All clowns have an evil vibe. lol. I saw 'It' when I was a kid and I never saw clowns the same way again. And now that I'm older, I have to question the motivation of anyone who would do this for a living. I know that seems harsh, and I know there are sincere people out there that do it for the kids on the reals, but to me it's still creepy.

Anyways, all I can find is weird gifs of this bear annoying people.

[Syn7]

Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski are kinda like a Disney princess and a Martin Short character trying to be serious. It's hard for me to not laugh when they're on. But you're right, they are killing it.

8102

[Syn7]

Here come the Russians, huh. It was a good day for them.

[GeneChing]

Hate to admit it but Steven was right (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67060-2014-Winter-Olympics-in-Sochi&p=1261305#post1261305).



Russia Pokes Fun at Olympic Ring Malfunction in Closing Ceremony (http://mashable.com/2014/02/23/closing-ceremony-sochi-olympic-rings/)
By Annie Colbert 1 day ago

http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzAyLzIzLzc2L1NvY2hpUmluZy45M2ZhYy5qcGcKcA l0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/70705f8c/0f6/Sochi-Ring.jpg

Don't say the Russians can't laugh at themselves.

During the opening minutes of the closing ceremony, performers poked fun at the infamous opening ceremony Olympic ring malfunction. The moment became a touchstone of #sochiproblems, but it seems Russia had the last laugh at the 2014 Olympic Games.

http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzAyLzIzLzE4L29seW1waWNyaW5nLjQzYzcyLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/77f36cc4/920/olympic-rings-closing-ceremony-anita-li.jpg
Image: CBC

http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzAyLzIzLzE4L29seW1waWNyaW5nLjVlNjdhLmpwZw pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/3cd05260/acd/olympic-rings-2-closing-ceremony-anita-li.jpg
Image: CBC

http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/olympic-rings-closing-ceremony-anita-li1.jpg
You go, fifth ring — we'll never forget you.

http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzAyLzIzL2E4L09seW1waWNSaW5nLmU5MmExLmdpZg pwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/c2b76e92/84f/Olympic-Ring-Malfunction-closing-ceremony.gif
Next stop, Rio, where beach volleyball shall rule supreme.

[bawang]

I have not watched even one second of the sochi Olympics. until they introduce pankration Olympics don't interest me.

[GeneChing]

Norway did well


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5pzhmGX1sk